West Ham was warned by BBC Sport journalist Simon Stone ahead of their clash with AZ Alkmaar on Thursday (11 May).
The Hammers welcome the Dutch outfit to the London Stadium for their Europa Conference League semi-final first-leg clash.
The hosts are favorites to come out on top, perhaps unsurprising given the stark financial differences between the two clubs.
“AZ are used to operating on a lower budget – and with a smaller infrastructure – than their rivals, both at home and in Europe,” Stone wrote for BBC Sport.
“Take Thursday’s opponents as an example. In the summer of 2021, West Ham’s total revenue was £192.1m, compared to AZ’s £19m.
“West Ham’s wage bill was £128.45m, compared to AZ’s £14.13m. London Stadium has a 62,500 capacity compared to AZ’s AFAS Stadium, which holds 19,500.”
Huge financial gap
The hosts simply cannot be complacent in their upcoming clash with AZ Alkmaar, whose wage bill is a huge £ 114 million less than that of West Ham.
Manager David Moyes will, however, ensure that is not the case, even though the home side will go into the game absolutely beaming with confidence after their 1-0 victory over Manchester United on Sunday (7 May).
It hasn’t been the best of Premier League campaigns for the Hammers, but they have been flying in Europe, and Moyes will want to keep that momentum going at all costs, particularly following their last home European match where they blitzed past Gent 4-1 last month.
But the semi-finals are usually a step up in class, with a young AZ Alkmaar side also playing with plenty of confidence lately.
Wage bills or revenue streams won’t matter when the two clubs go head to head over the two legs, with West Ham desperate to get off to a dream start in the first encounter.
